The Choice. Rivatorio is well drawn and will be looking to make amends for her narrow loss in the Lady’s Bracelet
Leading owner Hassen Adams has an impressive band of well-bred potential broodmares, and he will be expecting Rivatorio to open her stakes account at Kenilworth on Saturday. The Oratorio filly has drawn beautifully and looks a major contender in the R125 000 Listed Graham Beck Jamaica Handicap to be run over 1700m.
The timing of a win for the daughter of former Cool-more stallion Oratorio would be particularly sweet for the Avontuur Stud team as the star performing son of Danehill will touch down in Cape Town within days, to commence his exciting new career at stud here.
Smiling
And a win will no doubt have owner Mr Hassen Adams smiling too, after a desperately unlucky defeat a fortnight ago at Fairview.
Rivatorio was fancied to win the Listed Lady’s Bracelet that Friday afternoon, and after appearing to have every chance ran into a pocket of trouble, before storming through to be beaten a nose by Rush For John. Even the most talented of jockeys make errors of judgement.
We note Gerrit Schlechter has since been replaced by the experienced Fareed Anthony, who has been riding the Adams horses on and off for the past two decades and is something of a lucky charm who often has to settle for the second stringers.
Anthony, the first jockey of colour to graduate from the SA Jockey Academy, is a cucumber cool pilot, whose riding style is very reminiscent of Garth Puller. He rides Rivatorio for the first time and his quiet style and soft hands should suit her eminently.
Talented. Bermuda Sloop has not been far off at recent starts, and will be right there
Listed
Rivatorio has won twice from 17 starts and also ran two consecutive Listed race seconds towards the end of last season. She was only beaten 1,25 lengths by Big City Life’s full-sister Cash Register in the Listed Ladies Mile and we saw how that little chestnut ran a cracking fifth beaten only 3,20 lengths by Hill Fifty Four in the Gr2 Peninsula Handicap two weeks ago.
Rivatorio beat Bermuda Sloop 0,45 lengths in receipt of 2,5kgs at her penultimate and now meets the Kannemeyer runner at level weights.
Boating
Bermuda Sloop is a four time winner from 18 starts, who has had three runs since her KZN campaign.
She may have found the mile too short at her last outing when running on steadily for sixth behind Daily Flight and will prefer the extra 100m of the longer run in here. She is badly drawn at 13, which could swing the scale in Rivatorio’s favour.
Kotzen Quartet
Glen Kotzen is well represented with four runners in the race. Golden Dawn is an interesting runner, who has not won since her Listed Sweet Chestnut victory in April last year.
Golden Dawn ran a good race when running on well to finish seventh and 1,85 lengths behind Razzle Dazzle Rose in the Victress Stakes at her last start.
Our old friend Platinum Cat has her 24th start and is never far off the action. We also rate the jockey engagement.
On her best efforts dating back some time, she could upset the applecart and may benefit from a strong ride by the vastly underrated Grant Behr.
Varsfontein Stud’s Imperial State showed a form return last time when going down narrowly to Halfway To Heaven in an MR 90 Fillies Handicap. She is Listed placed ad lightly raced and looks a classy sort who will continue to improve.
Value. Golden Dawn is a Listed winner and has shown flashes of good ability in the past
Direction
The Maine Chance Farms owned and bred Spring Beauty is a filly going in the right direction. A winner of 3 of her 11 starts, she tries this trip for the first time and looks rather attractive carrying just 52,5kgs.
Mike Bass sends out a three-way coupling of Margaret Court, Bella Nero and Pan Amm.
Margaret Court is battling recently, and Bella Nero may be the best of the trio.
A four-time winner, she ran two smart seconds before getting tired last time when fading for a 2,20 length seventh behind Daily Flight. She is a front-running sort who may be troubled by her 12 draw. If she is not used up too much early on to overcome the draw, she could run a place here.
The grey Pan Amm runs for Chris Puller, and kicked on smarly last time when dashing through to be beaten under a half length by the very talented Halfway to Heaven. She runs with a lightweight of 52 kgs here, and while never striking us as a stakes winning type filly, she could surprise.
Michael Robinson has a really nice sort on his hands in the Trippi filly, Bois De Boulogne.
A winner of 2 of her first 7 starts, she ran a not-disgraced 5,85 lengths behind Rumya in the Avontuur Fillies Guineas and will find this a lot easier. While badly drawn, she warrants consideration.
Forward
Brett Crawford’s Magical Eve is yet another daughter of Oratorio.
She returned from a five month rest to run a great fifth to Daily Flight last time and showed her ability with two forward performances during the KZN Champions Season.
If the second run after a rest bogey doesn’t get to her, she may well be a value dark horse to consider.
Dennis Drier’s Murmering Sky is awfully drawn at 16 and gets the services of the hardworking Ossie Noach.
The daughter of Jallad won 2 of her first 5 starts, before bumping her head in the big league.
She returned to fillies handicap level last time when wearing blinkers for the first time, before tiring late to go down 0,70 lengths to Spring Beauty – with whom she is a kilo better off here.
Eric Sands’ All Fun has won 3 of 13 and is a lightly raced five year old who can get along when in the right mood. She is well drawn at 2.
Justin Snaith’s Jet Supreme returned to winning way at her last start when easily winning a MR 71 Fillies Handicap. She is as much as 5,5kgs better off with Rivatorio for a narrow defeat over a mile in November, and is very nicely drawn here.
The Var filly Heritage Wood returned from a long rest last time to share a thrilling dead-heat with the Carl Burger-trained Dark Journey. The latter franked the form by going down narrowly to Northern Heritage last Saturday, and Heritage Wood must have a winning chance if she stays the trip.
Paul Reeves’ Nonki Poo is a courageous little Stagelight filly, who had no luck when bundled out of contention in the final stages of her last race. She may lack the class to win a race like this.
River Rapids
Darryl Hodgson’s Rivatorio looks the right filly from a good draw in a race where pace appears guaranteed. That is if her Eastern Cape road trip has not taken the edge off her.
If she fluffs her lines, then Bermuda Sloop, Golden Dawn, Magical Eve, Jet Supreme and even Spring Beauty could be in the firing line.
